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Great Food Poppin’ in Downtown Savannah

A couple of months ago, I shared with you the fact that one of downtown Savannah’s most popular spots for breakfast and lunch was approaching a point where they were going to be opening for dinner. It was a natural progression. The space is beautiful, the reception from the community outstanding and the amount of national press has been admirable as well. There has been some tinkering with the menu, some discussion about dates, some construction going on to prepare for it all, but nothing set in stone. “I won’t do it until I am happy with everything”, owner, Anthony Debreceny, tells me. That is perfectly acceptable. Dinner can be a different animal. It just needs to be right. Fair enough. In the meantime, there is a space. A space that gets a ton of use during the morning and afternoons (especially on the weekends) but at night, there’s not a whole lot going on. Enter the idea of a guest chef.

The “Pop Up” dinner concept is hardly a new one. A quick google will reveal that they have been around for over a decade. All over the world. The concept is simple. In huge cities with a ton of culinary talent, not everyone who wants a restaurant space can afford one or is in a position to put one together. Aspiring chefs, many times, are starving artists themselves. They spend a ton of money on culinary school, take a low paying job just to get a start somewhere and unless they can prove themselves as a significant talent, just kind of grind out a living. It really is no different than any other profession out there. If you are talented, you will move up the chain. Beyond that, I’ll spare us all the history and inner workings of the “Pop Up” concept. That’s why Al Gore invented the internet.

We’ve seen it attempted a few times in Savannah over the last couple of years. If you know where to look, you’ll see special events here and there, where a chef from one spot will visit another restaurant one night and do something completely different and unrelated to the space’s menu. Truth be told, we have seen them, but they have been incredibly few and far between. This week’s event at The Collins Quarter could, and I stress could, finally be the beginning of something different in Savannah.

James Levens is a local chef. In the couple of years I’ve known him, he’s put in time at a number of different places. I met him at an ill fated spot downtown called Sparetime. It didn’t take long at all to realize this guy wasn’t another grilled chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries short order cook. There was creativity, there was passion, there was amazing food. The space shut down in less than a year, but not because of the food. Poor management was to blame there, but James popped up elsewhere. Right now he is Executive Chef Kyle Jacovino’s right hand man at The Florence, Hugh Acheson’s Italian hot spot on Victory Drive at Whitaker.

This is where these two paths came together.

The Collins Quarter held a special event one night dinner this week in Savannah, the chef was James Levens. It was James’ night off from The Florence, so he spent it the way any other chef would, right? Cooking. The concept a very straight forward “Meat +3.” How was it?

“The best creamed corn I’ve ever had. Actually, it was the best pork chop I’ve ever had”, said Brennen Arkins. He and his wife, Jamie, actually had a tiny debate over which dish they liked best. “I loved the Savannah Red Rice”, she says. “I want to learn how to make that at home.”

The menu was straightforward. First course of Fried Catfish with cucumber, cucumber vinegar, buttermilk, scallions and dill oil. That was followed by the Savannah Red Rice steamed in a collard leaf and topped with chicken and smoked ham broth. They were topped with three dots. “That’s a 64 degree egg yolk”, James tells me. Perfect balance of flavors. Third course was a Fried Pork Chop “Tonkatsu” wih creamed corn and fermented peppers. I couldn’t find anyone who left behind anything but an empty plate. Trust me, I tried.

There were other courses, small bites here and there and the sold out crowd enjoyed every bit of it. “The phone was ringing off the hook all day”, Debreceny tells me. “We had to cap it though.” For a first time out, this was a home run.

There will be more opportunities to do things like this around Savannah. If you are paying attention to the food scene in the Savannah area, you can see it about 100 miles away. Two years ago there was a good bit of talent in the city, but they were somewhat behind the scenes. Think about it. In two very short years, we’ve seen spots like Collins Quarter, The Wyld, The Grey, The Florence and Lili’s on Wilimington Island open their doors and break the mold. That’s to say nothing about spaces that are on the way like Cotton and Rye and the yet to be named space owned and operated by Savannah favorite, Michael Gottlieb. It might take a little time for the masses to catch on, but they should.

The James Levens/Collins Quarter Pop Up Dinner was a huge success. The food was excellent, the atmosphere equally so. Will this lead to a following and a true turning of the corner for Savannah’s food scene? My money is on absolutely.

See you on TV.

Jesse

 

 

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